Types of Services

The North Dakota GIS Hub offers a full range of GIS web service formats which are identified as two types of web services.

Esri Format

Used by ArcGIS Desktop including the free ArcGIS Explorer and ArcGIS Explorer Online
Recommended for best performance and ease of use when using ArcGIS products
Symbology already defined
Used by web-based applications that you develop using Esri application programming interfaces (APIs) such as Javascript, Silverlight, or Flex

Can be used by ArcGIS Desktop but with two exceptions typically most useful with non-Esri software such as gvSIG, MapWindow, Quantum GIS, uDig, OpenJUMP, Gaia, and GRASS.
Web Feature Service (WFS) – streams “raw” vector data (e.g., roads, rivers), layers can be turned on/off, and symbology can be changed by the user. Use this with ArcGIS Desktop if you wish to define your own vector data symbology. It is highly recommended to zoom in to area of interest before loading this data due to performance
Web Coverage Service (WCS) – streams “raw” raster data (e.g., aerial photography), layers can be turned on/off, properties can be changed by the user. Use this with ArcGIS Desktop if you wish to set adjust the display properties of raster data. Performance is very good with ArcGIS Desktop.
Web Map Service (WMS) – streams an image of vector and raster data, view only, layers can be turned on/off. When using ArcGIS Desktop, it is generally better to use the Esri format to ensure maximum capabilities
Keyhole Markup Language (KML) – streams an image of vector and raster data, view only, layers can be turned on/off